On the top shelf above Brad Grumbles’s desk stands a testament to the love and care he feels for his students. A hand-carved statue of an eagle, made by one of his former students, stands proudly for all visitors to see.
Although this is his first year at Arroyo Grande High School, Grumbles has always been a devoted eagle. Grumbles started his career in education 20 years ago as a Berkshire Eagle in Bakersfield, CA, and hasn’t looked back since.
“I taught 10 years in the classroom, mostly sixth grade, and then I moved into the IT world,” Grumbles said.
He then started working in education technology, advocating for the use of one-on-one devices for students, much like the Chromebooks used at AGHS today. While teachers aid directly with students learning, technology teaches them how to navigate the modern world.
“I worked on curriculum technology and one-to-one devices, and then I got into assessment curriculum,” Grumbles said.
Working in assessment curriculum, Grumbles helped educators evaluate whether or not students were learning what the curriculum taught, while his work in education technology empowered students by providing them access to additional information and resources.
Years later, he moved to the central coast in 2018 with his family and his black lab Abby, taking the position of principal at Ocean View Elementary School. While it prepared him for his time at AGHS, there are new challenges coming into the 2023-24 school year.
“{AGHS} is a big school, and getting to see 2,000 kids versus 600 kids every day is a lot different,” Grumbles said.
(Mia Hinds)
Despite the change in population, Grumbles’s passion for education that (nearly) exceeds his love for the movie “Top Gun” remains positively focused on supporting his students in the classroom and the sports field.
“It’s been really fun to get to know all of the kids, but specifically all of the sports programs. It’s a really cool neat thing that I’m really excited to be a part of. Sports have always been something I really enjoy,” Grumbles said.
Prior to the school year starting, Grumbles worked with AGHS staff to figure out how to enforce the Eagle Expectations and Core Values. And he’s already noticed the results of their work in the first week of school.
“I see a lot of people out there being respectful, that’s really pretty obvious, and in the first couple of days I’ve seen a lot of people demonstrating responsibility like getting to class on time,” Grumbles said.
Grumbles hopes that the Eagle Values will continue to positively impact students year-round.
“Integrity, diversity, equity…it’s going to take a little bit more time to see, but I think they’re really valuable, because it gives people a target to shoot for,” Grumbles said.
He hopes to be a role model for students, and someone they feel comfortable going to for help, all while maintaining a balance between respected authority figures and helpful resource. He wants students to improve and work on themselves, but also know his words and advice come from a place of love and care.
“I hope when they walk away from me they see, or they have an understanding that I want to help make them better, right? We can all be better. My goal is to meet everybody where they’re at,” Grumbles said.
Grumbles takes pride in his work, with the intention to make the world a better place through education, with a focus on progress, not perfection. He’s proud of his passion for students and education and isn’t afraid to share his values, as well as the other things in life that make him happy.
His favorite color is blue, he loves sports, and is a proud father to his toy Australian Shepard Coco, and Black Lab Abby. But above all, he wants to support his students in any way he can.
“We’re here to help you guys be successful,” Grumbles said.
He says it with a sincerity that’s difficult to disregard, and the wooden hand-carved eagle that took hours to make says it too.
